Jon Jones Shows Off New Physique, Hints at April 23 UFC Return

Jon
Jones is putting in the work in preparation for his Octagon
return, and that comeback now appears to have a tentative date.

The former UFC light heavyweight champion took to Instagram to post
a before-and-after picture indicating what he used to look like
during his “offseason” as compared to now. He also captioned the
photo with a hint as to when he might fight again. In keeping with
his usual routine, Jones then deleted the post.

“Offseason 2013 vs. offseason 2015. Five more months to prepare for
this win,” Jones wrote. “I’ll be sure to be at my best April 23.
#newlevels.”

April 23 is the date the UFC has
announced a pay-per-view event at New York’s Madison Square
Garden. Of course, MMA must be legalized in the state before the
promotion can hold a card there, a battle that has been ongoing for
years. Jones, a New York native who trains in Albuquerque, N.M.,
would make an ideal headliner for such an event, which would likely
be UFC 198. He would almost certainly face Daniel
Cormier in a light heavyweight title bout.

Jones was recently reinstated by the UFC after being suspended and
stripped of his title for his involvement in an alleged hit-and-run
incident earlier this year. In his absence, Cormier defeated
Anthony
Johnson to capture the vacant 205-pound title. Jones defeated
Cormier via unanimous decision at UFC 182.